The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington Click for Site

The Movie Palace: An Illustrated Slide Talk
by

Cezar Del Valle

Extravagant movie palaces allowed audiences to escape into a fantasy world beyond their wildest dreams of luxury and gilded glamour.

Accommodating 2,500 to 6, 000 theses cinemas lavished courteous attentions upon patrons, offering a variety of services unknown to today’s moviegoer.

After a brief overview of the earliest movie houses, this slide presentation traces the development of larger, more ornate cinemas; construction cresting in 1927 with the opening of the 5, 888 seat Roxy Theatre: “The Cathedral of Motion Pictures.”

The most flamboyant movie houses are illustrated with a discussion of the various architects and the types of shows presented. Originally these theatres offered elaborate stage productions in addition to first-run features accompanied by organ or house orchestra.

Many of the great movie palaces would later be carved up into ungainly multiplexes before being demolished as preservationists fought to save them. The talk concludes with a look at significant losses as well as grand survivors.



Setup Needed



* Slide projector and screen required

* Microphone optional